Curb Appeal // A Porch Makeover - A Year and A Half In The Making

Our front porch finally got a makeover and oh boy, what a difference it made!  I'm sure it would have looked great with just a fresh exterior paint job, or new stain on the deck, freshening the lamp or adding some greenery and an updated rug, but the combination of all of them made it all that much more pleasing.

Sometimes there are projects that I think of and get to work on immediately - others sit in my mind for years before I start on them.  Our porch is definitely one of the latter.  We replaced the old rotting front porch when we moved into the house (actually, before we had even closed...it was a weird situation where we had to do some updates before our bank would sign off.  I'm still frustrated that WE had to do the work, but whatevs.)  Our new porch was a pretty cedar that, once built, was pretty much neglected.  No stain, no paint - nothing.

Luke's Room Featured on Apartment Therapy

Man, I love room transformations - and this is one of my favorites.  Remember when I took Luke's room from boring to fun last summer?  Well, it's being featured over at Apartment Therapy today. 

I still love this room - and it's still exactly as it was a year or so ago (after I mounted the magnetic board) but that's all about to change.  Our two boys (yes, there's another fun little boy on its way!) will be sharing this room.  We have some fun updates in the works (like a bunkbed similar to this or this) to utilize the space and make it perfect for both an infant and toddler, so stay tuned!

Until then, just jump on over to AT and see Luke's room in all its glory.

How To Pick The Right Exterior Paint Color For Your Home

These days I feel like I have a paint brush and roller glued to my hands...oh, what I wouldn't give for bionic painting hands!  I'm hard at work putting the finishing touches on our mudroom/kitchen reno and if that wasn't enough I decided to paint the exterior in my downtime.  Why did I decide to take on two massive projects at once?  Well, I'm crazy....and impatient.  Plus, I picked up my Clark + Kensington paint a few weeks back (in Ace Hardware's Seal Point) and it's been calling me from the shed ever since.

Exterior Paint "Seal Point" by Ace Hardware - Progress...still have trim and a few walls to finish.

Ace Hardware offered me the opportunity to try out their new line of premium paint - Clark + Kensington.  Picking the project was easy - the paint color, that was another story.  Choosing paint colors is a daunting task.  It's one thing to make the wrong decision and have to repaint (like I did here), but it's a whole 'nother problem when it's a huge project like the exterior of your house.  Knowing what will work for your home and style and making the right decision will save you time, money and a few gray hairs.

Beadboard / Board & Batten DIY Reveal & How-To

This bathroom started as a basic builder's grade shell with beige tile floors, beige tile shower and beige walls.  We are still rocking the beige but we've added a fresh update to break up the monotone color and give the room a bit of texture and character.

Let's just go back in time a bit - back to late 2011 when we stepped foot into this little fixer upper, looked around and thought...yep, this one is it.  Our little house was pretty boring - actually extremely boring.  The walls and ceilings were a cream color - the carpet, brown - and the bathroom...well, the bathroom was nearly beige from floor to ceiling.

Give Your Outdoor Lighting A Fresh Update

Last week, while Josh was hard at work on the mudroom/nook/kitchen reno (or munoki??) I took advantage of the sunny weather and crossed off a few projects from my outdoor to-do list.  I didn't manage to fully complete them all (the house is just partially painted) but I did update our front porch light.

The light was a dirty white sconce that had seen better days. It's (barely) visible here in this listing photo of our home.